Inner Demons
by LadyWallace
Summary: Sometimes Crowley forgets that he has other demonic powers besides just curses and demonic miracles. It's been a while since he's really flexed his muscles, but when the situation calls for it…well, there's nothing like certain death to jog the memory.


**This one is for Whiskerdrops who wanted Crowley remembering some of his lesser used demonic powers :)**

**Also, if the Guest reviewer who commented on La Grippe reads this, I heard your request, and I will see what I can do at some point :)**

Inner Demons

A Good Omens Fanfic

"It could be worse, angel."

The angel in question turned a baleful look up toward Crowley who was currently pacing the small area, making it very clear what he thought of the demon's optimism. "My dear, at this point, I don't see how it _could_ be much worse."

"Well, we're not discorporated, for one," Crowley edged.

"A small miracle," Aziraphale muttered under his breath.

"And we're not being tortured."

"Yet," the angel snapped. "It's only a matter of time before _that_ happens."

Crowley shrugged. "We don't know what they want."

"They're humans who know too much about the supernatural, they know exactly what we are! They'll turn to torture or…or horrid experimentation eventually, you can be certain!"

"Since when did you become so pessimistic?" Crowley demanded. "I never thought I'd see the day _you_ lost faith in humanity."

"I'm just being realistic," Aziraphale huffed, folding his arms across his chest. "And really, I've never seen you _so_ optimistic."

"Because I'm trying to come up with something useful here, angel!" Crowley snapped, then sank back down into a corner of the cage they were being held in, wrapping his arms around his knees.

Aziraphale sighed and sat back as well on the opposite side. The place was so small, their feet were almost touching. That didn't keep them from being trapped though. Whoever these people were who had taken them, they knew what they were doing when they had made this cage. It had the right runes on it to keep both an angel and a demon captive without being able to use miracles, demonic or otherwise, to get out or otherwise cause havoc.

"We shouldn't have stuck our noses into this," Crowley muttered. "We should have just left it alone."

"Well, it's a little late for that now, so we may as well finish the job," Aziraphale said with a huff.

Crowley spread his hands helplessly. "How? You said it yourself, we're stuck here! And we have no idea what they're going to do to us!"

As if on cue, the door to the basement they were being kept in opened and the sound of several pairs of feet coming down the steps echoed in the small area. Aziraphale and Crowley stood up, waiting anxiously as the humans appeared, wearing red robes with hoods.

"Oh, Heaven, this is a cult isn't it?" Crowley muttered.

"Looks like it," Aziraphale agreed, pressing his lips into a thin, disapproving line.

"I bloody hate cults."

Three cloaked figures stopped in front of the cage and Aziraphale cleared his throat, deciding it was probably best to be polite in this situation. After all, being polite never hurt anyone.

"Excuse me, but…do you mind telling us what it is you want with us?" he asked.

A smirk appeared under one of the hoods and Aziraphale decided he didn't like that man very much.

"I suppose it doesn't matter now. You'll find out soon enough. Once the ritual is ready."

"Ritual?" Crowley demanded. "What ritual?"

"A ritual to extract your powers and take them into us," a woman said almost reverently. "So that we may wield the powers of Heaven and Hell."

"Um…" Aziraphale held up a finger. "I don't really think it works that way."

"Silence!" the third man said. "What our leader says is absolute."

Crowley groaned and grabbed the bars, leaning close to the humans. "Of course it is. Look, you freaks, there is no real ritual to take the power from an angel and a demon, so go home, get a job, and let us go!"

The woman reached through the bars and shoved something against Crowley's side that zapped and crackled, causing the demon to collapse with a cry of pain.

"Crowley!" Aziraphale cried, rushing to his friend's side and propping him against a knee to support him as he turned to glower up at the humans. "If you hurt my friend again, I'll…I'll be _very_ upset!"

The woman turned to him with the taser. "You'll get some too, if you try anything. By the end of the eclipse you two will be no better than humans. And then you'll be sacrificed and your blood will lend to our power."

"Oh, for goodness sake…why is it always the eclipse with you people?" Aziraphale huffed in annoyance. "It has no significance! It's only another natural phase of the universe!"

"Don't bother, angel," Crowley grunted, sitting up by himself now. "You can't beat sense into their thick skulls."

"We will be back," one of the men said. "And then the ritual will begin."

Aziraphale glowered at them as they retreated, then turned back to Crowley who was hissing, pulling his shirt up to poke at the burn spot under his ribs.

"Well they seem like a lot of fun," he grumbled. "So nice of them to invite us to their party."

Aziraphale stood up and looked around the cage. "We need to get out of here." He reached around the bar to touch one of the runes. "Perhaps if I can find something to start scraping these off with…"

"I don't think we have time for that," Crowley grunted, also pulling himself to his feet. "They're dead set on sacrificing us to whatever god-on-earth cult leader they're brainwashed for. Our only chance is to try something once they get us out of here."

"Yes, I thought that too," Aziraphale said. "But I have a feeling that if they were smart enough to ward this cage, they were probably smart enough to do it elsewhere. Or they might have warded restraints that they'll put on us."

Crowley growled. "You're right." He started pacing again, bumping into Aziraphale in the small space. "There has to be something we can do. I'm not going to be discorporated by some stupid cult!"

As he said it, he lashed out and struck one of the bars.

It bowed with a metallic shriek.

He stopped, shocked, and Aziraphale stared at him.

"Did you just…" his eyes tracked from his slim friend to the metal bar.

Crowley looked just as shocked. "Er…yeah, I guess I did."

Aziraphale was right next to him now, studying the bar. "Can you…do it again?"

Crowley licked his lips, shrugged and reached out with both hands, grabbing two bars and wrenched them apart until there was a space big enough for them to get through.

Crowley cleared his throat, looking sheepish. Aziraphale narrowed his eyes.

"Could you have done that this whole time?" the angel finally demanded.

Crowley shrugged. "I guess the warding takes out our mental powers, not the psychical ones."

"Crowley! You didn't think to check?"

"Forgot," Crowley muttered, ducking his head.

"Forgot to check?"

"Ngk," Crowley grunted. "Forgot I could do that."

Aziraphale's face went blank as he stared at his friend for a long moment then shook his head and stepped through the space, striding toward the stairs.

"Hey, wait," Crowley cried, scrambling after him.

"I cannot believe you 'forgot' you could do that!" the angel huffed.

"Hey, I don't usually use my demonic strength! Ever!" Crowley protested. "Not really my style."

"So if you hadn't accidently remembered then we might have ended up sacrificed?" Aziraphale demanded.

"Hey, need I remind you you're the one who lost a blooming flaming sword?" Crowley snapped.

"Oh, for the last time, I _gave it away!_" Aziraphale cried. "And that isn't anything like this!"

"Hey!"

The cultists had realized their prisoners were escaping. Crowley lashed out and caused them to trip over their ridiculous robes.

"That's what you keep saying," Crowley muttered.

"Because it's true!" Aziraphale said. They were passing through the main room now where the rest of the cultists were set up, standing in a circle with an alter to one side. Aziraphale snapped his fingers and the candles on the alter burst into flames, catching the alter and several of the cultists' robes on fire, creating a mad scramble that ended with someone rushing for a fire extinguisher.

"Oh yes, and you've of course never done anything else idiotic," Crowley mocked. "You in all your righteous do-goodery."

"Oh-ho! Let's not talk about idiotic," Aziraphale said. "I could mention a few times you came up with ideas that were less than fiendish."

"Well, it's hard having a quota you need to meet!" Crowley griped.

More cultists rushed them and Crowley caused two to trip over a chair that suddenly fell in their way as Aziraphale made the hoods drop over the faces of the others. There was more shouting and fire coming from the room they had just passed through.

The main door was in front of them now and Crowley simply raised a foot and kicked it. The door splintered.

They stepped through it, still bickering heatedly, as cultists fled the scene, while the building was starting to go up in flame. None of them paying attention at all now to the angel and the demon who were getting into the Bentley, still arguing.

But once they had gotten back to the bookshop and had a bottle of wine, they had forgotten what it had all been about and decided that they were free now and that was what counted.


End file.
